Business Plus Baby blog carnival

When we first offered to host the Business Plus BabyÂ blog carnival back before Christmas, we didn’t really know what to expect. We certainly weren’t prepared for the fantastic response from amazing business mummies everywhere, on such a wide range of interesting topics.

So after a fascinating afternoon spent sorting our way through all the entries, we are very pleased to be able to share them all with you today. So, grab a cuppa, but your feet up, and dive in. It is Friday after all, you deserve it…

If you’ve ever worried about going back to work after maternity leave, and how you’ll cope with the change from milk stained pjs to high heels, Notes to Self, Plus Two gives a brilliant account of her return to work, taking us through Day One, WeekÂ One and WeekÂ TwoÂ – we are very impressed she had time to blog at all!

Reading stories from other women who have successfully built a business around family life can be hugely inspiring, and we felt particularly motivated by Business Plus Baby’s post on why your shouldn’t let the fear of failure hold you back – Helen is quite right that it is an essential part of learning after all! There is also plenty of inspiration on starting your own business from Becoming a Mumpreneur (also known as BaM! – which we love!), as well advice on running competitions on your blog or website from Ace Inspire.

It really is impressive the range of careers that us mums find ourselves in – for Helen Redfern at Birth and Baby, the latest thing is baby massage, for Aimee Rogers it’s personal fitness, for Emmanuelle Lemoine and Anne Stuartand it’s the creative world of interior design, andÂ for Kim and Jeanette, their photography business, Cocoon Photography, is their baby – aren’t we a talented bunch??

If you’re looking for some more personal stories, have a read of Motivating Mum’s ideas for measuring growth, (and we’re not talking sales figures…) or Life of a Prem Baby Blog’s reflections on her second week with her gorgeous premature babyÂ – I’m sure any parent will empathise with the anxiety and guiltÂ so often associated withÂ those early days with a new baby. The Kids Coach sparked some interesting debate on the parenting front too, with her post about toxic friends – how far would you go to say who your child should and shouldn’t be friends with?

Did you think hosting a childrens’ birthday party was a simple matter of chucking the kids into a room with a load of balloons and a pile of pink wafer biscuits, then think again. Apparently it’s far more complicated than that! My Funky Party explains all about birthday party etiquette for those of us who thought it was simply a matter of remembering to give the jelly time to set…

For anyone currently breastfeeding, or thinking about breastfeeding, how about this useful post from Kiddibase – inspiration and top breastfeeding tips from a mum of four! (Not all breastfed at the same time…). Or how about giving a big blogging welcome to Jodi, a mother, painter and self confessed blogging virgin, who has recentlyÂ started Painting a Beautiful Life – good luck Jodi!

We also really like this post from Smart Talkers, a blog about children’s communication skills, but our favourite bit is the gorgeous photo! Seriously, how cute is that?? On a similar subject, Little Lilypad tells us all about FINK – intrigued? Check it out!

Just starting reading through these and the fear of failure one has really hit home. It is so true. Most of the time I have thought what if it does not work out, or well that did not work so why bother with anything else and then what will other people think.

Its so reassuring that others have felt like this and that even a failure can have a positive effect such as a learning experience.

You’re so right – the fear of failure plays such a massive part in all our lives doesn’t it? Just imagine what we might be capable of if we never thought twice about the ‘what ifs’ or worried about what people would think of us!